Borough Park Community In Shock Over 8-Year-Old Leiby Kletzky’s Death

State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, left, talks on a phone as he arrives at the apartment where Leiby Kletzky lived with his family in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, July 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

“It’s an unbelievable, an unbelievable feeling,” said one woman. “I feel like I lost one of my kids. The closeness that everybody feels to this family, to the people. how could this happen? How could this happen here? How could this happen in Borough Park?”

But now, 48-hours later, residents were stunned to learn the suspect is Jewish and a fellow member of the community, which works closely with the NYPD to help police its streets and prides itself on typically shunning outside influences.

“This turned out to be very ugly,” said resident Josh Berman. “Unfortunately, one of our own. It’s very sad.”

“It’s very difficult to even think about,” said resident Abraham Yakob.

State Assemblyman Dov Hikind has been working closely with the Kletzky family.

“We’re going to get to bottom of this,” said Hikind.

Hikind said the parents do not know Aron, who lived about a mile away from the boy.